


Shield Mates

by sophe



Series: Warden Secrets -Short Stories [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Coming of Age, I never knew how much I needed this pairing, M/M, first romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 15:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3698180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophe/pseuds/sophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alistair looked over at the only other recruit who wasn't in the practice ring.  Cullen wasn't in the ring because he had twisted an ankle, not because he was an utter failure like Alistair.  Alistair let his gaze move down from Cullen's intense stare to the lose fitting garments all recruits wore under their practice armor.   Unlike Alistair, who was all arms and legs, Cullen was brawn and muscles.  Alistair felt something like insects flying around his stomach and looked away before the other recruit noticed he was staring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Diplomatic Ties](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3225017) by [felandaris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/felandaris/pseuds/felandaris). 



> After reading [Diplomatic Ties](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3225017/chapters/7021139) I realized that not only did I want, but that I desperately needed more Alistair/Cullen fic. This is my attempt. I wasn't sure what this was going to be when I started, but once the words hit the page, I realized that I didn't want it just to be a quick fic. I wanted to see what their relationship might have been had they spent years together. So, basically, that meant that some of their developing relationship had to happen before they were 18. The smut won't happen until after they are 18, but I wanted the sweetness of their romance to start before then. Needless to say, it's a very tricky line to walk and I tried very hard to keep it tasteful. At least until Alistair is 18, then all bets are off. Oh, and there's a cameo with one of my original characters. 
> 
> I want to be completely upfront… the smut is stolen from another story of mine. So if the sex reads as being familiar, it's because it is.

Alistair leaned against the railing of the sparring ring and watched the young men wielding practice swords. He hadn't received any training while living at Redcliffe. Well that wasn't entirely true. He hadn't received any weapons training, but he could feed the hounds and groom a horse, so that was something. The weapons' master, Ser Kalvin, took one look at how Alistair held a sword and shook his head in clear disappointment. He had mumbled something about at least not having to unteach any bad habits and then sent the boy out of the ring to watch the day's practice. Alistair was simultaneously relieved and humiliated. He didn't want the other boys to see just how inadequate he was, but he also didn't need to feel any more of an outcast. He had experienced that enough under Isolde's rule at Redcliffe.

He looked over at the only other recruit who wasn't in the practice ring. Cullen wasn't in the ring because he had twisted an ankle, not because he was an utter failure. Alistair let his gaze move down from Cullen's intense stare to the lose fitting garments all recruits wore under their practice armor. Unlike Alistair, who was all arms and legs, Cullen was brawn and muscles. Alistair felt something like insects flying around his stomach and looked away before the other recruit noticed he was staring. He pretended to look out at the ring by keeping his head in its general direction, but his eyes had moved so that he could look at Cullen.

For his part, Cullen may have noticed the younger recruit's attentions, but didn't say anything about them. "If you want, I can help you with your sword work."

Alistair swallowed back the immediate 'yes' that was at the tip of his tongue. It had been his experience that anyone offering help was rarely doing it because they were trying to be nice. His imagination wandered around the various paths until it ultimately landed where it always landed – Alistair completely humiliated and chastised.

Cullen turned his back to the ring and leaned against the railing. His arms crossed over his chest and Alistair couldn't help but notice the way the older boy's arms flexed.

"Seriously. There are a few rooms used during the cooler months. I'll let Ser Kalvin know and no one will see us." The right corner of his mouth curved up into a small smirk. "I promise."

Alistair's attention shifted from the flexing muscles to the other recruit's mouth and blinked his eyes several times.

"I'm Cullen."

"Al… Alistair." He wasn't sure how he managed to get the word out or how he even managed to remember his name.

The sound of yelling and a door slamming brought all activity to a halt and Alistair and Cullen didn't have time to finish the conversation that had barely started. Everyone, even the weapons' master was staring at the woman. It wasn't every day that a woman decked out in tight fitting black leathers invaded the Chantry and it certainly wasn't every day that the Reverend Mother received a lecture from anyone who didn't have Grand or Divine in their title.

"Fucking twat weasel!" The woman stomped down the path towards the stable, but stopped halfway down the walkway, as though she knew that she had an audience. She turned around and looked at the recruits. He head titled to the right and she smiled. It was like the stables were never her intended destination, and she strode across the lawn to the ring.

Alistair's eyes widened. He knew her. He actually knew her. She had spoken to him. It was five years ago, and there was no way she would remember him, but he remembered her. It was impossible for him not to. She was all the prince would talk about during his visit to Redcliffe.

When the other recruit cleared his throat and pushed his elbow in Alistair's rib, Alistair shook his head free from his memory only to walk into a new memory. The woman, the Warden Commander, was standing right in front of him and looking down at the top of his head. He titled his head back to look up at her, not that she was that much taller than him anymore. He felt her hand against his cheek, more than he saw her move it there and closed his eyes again as the warmth of the memory of that day ran through him. It was the one time in all his time at Redcliffe when he felt special. 

"Let me look at you, boy."

Her voice was exactly as he had remembered it and he opened his eyes.

"Remember. You always have a home." 

Her whisper wrapped its way around him and held him close far better than a hug could have. She smiled and winked at him before jumping into the ring to speak with Ser Kalvin, but she spoke quietly enough with the weapons' master that Alistair couldn't hear what she said.

"You know her?"

Alistair nodded his head slowly in answer to Cullen's question, but Alistair couldn't explain it to him. The Reverend mother and Arl had threatened him with countless punishments if he ever shared the secret of his parentage with anyone. 

Alistair went through the rest of the day in a bit of a daze. The other recruits couldn't stop talking about the Warden Commander and the newest recruit had been elevated to near celebrity status because she had paid attention to him. At dinner, expecting to sit by himself at the end of a table in the corner of the mess hall, he was surprised to hear his name called out.

Cullen was standing up at the middle of one of the tables filled with star recruits. The boys who were good with weapons, and closer to being men than boys. "Alistair, come on. Sit with us."

Cullen waved at him and Alistair couldn't stop himself from moving towards him. It was like there was an unseen hand pulling at a tether wrapped around his waist. Cullen made room next to him and even though Alistair was younger than the others at the table, they didn't treat him like a little kid. They also didn't ask any questions about the Warden Commander. Instead the conversations were about lessons, both physical and mental, hated tutors and the too tight robes of some of the sisters.

For the first time since Alistair had learned that he was being carted off to the chantry to be made into a Templar, he wasn't frightened.


	2. Practice Makes Perfect

"Alistair, come on. You need to keep your wrist tighter or old Mother Tessa will be able to disarm you." Cullen kept any chastisement out of his correction.

The boys had started working out together when Alistair first arrived, just like Cullen promised, and hadn't stopped in the six years since. Alistair was sixteen and had finally started to see the results of his workouts by way of stronger muscles, but he was still long and lean instead of being built wide like his friend. Cullen was almost eighteen and would be ready to move on soon, but until the time came for the Reverend Mother to assign him to a position, Cullen spent as much time with Alistair as possible.

It was impossible for him not to notice the way Alistair looked at him when he thought that Cullen's attentions were elsewhere. Cullen didn't mind, in fact he enjoyed the clandestine looks. The Chantry wasn't exactly thrilled with the notion of Templars, male or female, being shield mates off the field as well as on, but there was no actual prohibition against it.

Cullen made another sweep of his sword and managed to disarm Alistair. They both watched the practice sword fly out of his hand in a neat spiral and land with a clatter on the floor. Cullen rolled his eyes and decided at the moment to teach Alistair a lesson about gripping a sword. Before Alistair could even recover the fallen weapon, Cullen used his shield and his forearm to push Alistair back against the wall.

Alistair stared at his friend who now stood in front of him with just two practice shields between their bodies. The tip of his tongue slipped between his lips and moistened his upper lip, and Cullen couldn't help but stare at it. It wasn't possible to say who dropped their shield first, but Cullen did drop his sword just before the shields fell to the ground.

Cullen took the one half step necessary to close the distance between them and press against Alistair. He felt Alistair lean even more against the wall as he moved his lips closer. Cullen pressed his lips against Alistair's, slowly increasing the pressure from his mouth and body until Alistair's lips parted. At the same time, Alistair relaxed against the wall and Cullen placed his hands on the wall on either side of Alistair's head.

Cullen's hands moved slowly until they held Alistair's cheeks steady while Cullen deepened his kiss, his tongue demanding more from his fellow recruit. And Alistair responded. At first his arms just hung down at his sides, but eventually he came to the realization that he had wrapped his arms around Cullen's waist and was holding on to his friend as much as his friend was holding on to him. 

Cullen pulled away from Alistair and ran his thumb over Alistair's swollen bottom lip. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Alistair could only nod his head. He had an idea that it probably wasn't nearly as long as he had wanted Cullen to kiss him. "But you seemed to really enjoy looking at the Warden Commander during her visits." He had no idea why he was so desperate for Cullen to reaffirm his wants.

"I think that you will find that very few men or women don't enjoy looking at her. Aesthetically she's a delight." Cullen lightly kissed his lips again, "but not nearly as delightful as you, Alistair."

After that fateful practice session, all other sessions ended with the two kissing. Sometimes they just stood together, against a wall, in a repeat of that first kiss, but other times Alistair knelt astride Cullen's lap, and better yet, from Alistair's perspective, with both men lying down on the training mats.

To Alistair's frustration, it never moved beyond kissing. And while he enjoyed the attentions and skills Cullen exhibited for him, he wondered why Cullen never pushed things further and why Cullen always stopped Alistair's hands from wandering past his hips.

Cullen was just as frustrated and retreated to the baths after every practice. Not to clean up in as much as to cool down. He had no illusions about Alistair's experiences and while Cullen wasn't exactly a slut, he had his fair share of partners. He didn't want Alistair's first time to be on the floor of a training room or in the middle of crowded barracks. He wanted it to be special. But it would never be special inside the walls of the Chantry used for training Templar recruits.


End file.
